yuán gù
cause; reason
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我不知道他缺席的缘故。
wǒ bù zhīdào tā quēxí de yuángù.
I don't know the reason for his absence.
他迟到的缘故是因为堵车。
tā chídào de yuángù shì yīnwèi dǔchē.
The reason for his lateness was because of the traffic jam.
我之所以喜欢她，是因为她很善良。
wǒ suǒyǐ xǐhuān tā, shì yīnwèi tā hěn shànliáng.
The reason I like her is because she is very kind.
结果 (jié guǒ)
result
原因 (yuán yīn)
cause
The Chinese word 缘故 (yuángù) is composed of two characters: 缘 (yuán) and 故 (gù). 缘 originally means "edge" or "margin", but in this context, it refers to "cause" or "reason". 故 originally means "old" or "ancient", but in this context, it refers to "matter" or "affair". Therefore, 缘故 literally means "the cause of an affair" or "the reason for something". It is often used to ask for or explain the reason behind something. For example, 你为什么迟到？缘故是什么？(Why are you late? What's the reason?)
